Bhubaneswar, Dec. 7: The Congress and the ruling BJD today joined hands in the Assembly to criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi for wearing expensive and fashionable clothes.

The PM "is flaunting suits worth more than Rs 10 lakh at a time when more than 70 per cent of people in the country do not even earn Rs 20 and go hungry every day," said Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra.

Mishra, who is also the leader of Opposition, attacked the BJP for celebrating the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's assassin, Nathuram Godse. "It's unfortunate that a party that is ruling the country is observing the birth anniversary of Mahatma's killer," he said.

Agitated BJP members stood up in protest during Mishra's speech. They also demanded that "objectionable remarks" made against Modi by food supply and consumer welfare minister Sanjay Das Burma last week be expunged.

The minister had said that the country could expect little from a prime minister who spent lavishly on dressing himself up.

BJP members, who had raised the demand for expunging the minister's remarks during Zero Hour today, staged a walkout when the speaker did not pay any attention to them. Rather, their pleas evoked cynical comments from Mishra who said that there was no merit in the demand and BJP leaders were wasting the time of the House. "There is nothing wrong in making critical remarks about the activities of the prime minister," he said.

During Zero Hour, BJP MLA Rabi Narayan Naik had demanded that the "objectionable" remarks against Modi be expunged from the Assembly proceedings.

The BJD, which claims to maintain equal distance from the BJP and the Congress, was embarrassed by the Opposition party's support. Party spokesperson Pratap Jena said: "It's the Congress and the BJP who are allies both inside and outside the Assembly and are trying to keep the BJD out of power."